griffy116

I have seen service animals on board and have never had a problem with it whatsoever. Trained service animals don't approach people, don't lick or eat off plates and don't poop on the deck, in the hallways or in the cabin. Our 3 little rescues are all trained to poop either outdoors on grass or on a pp pad in inclimate weather. We love them dearly and they are the only reason we are willing to leave the cruise and hurry home. While we hate leaving them at home (with an in-house petsitter), they would be so miserable on a cruise ship that we would never inflict this on them. They like their routine. Even the slight motion of the ship would be unnerving for them. The smells and all the people just outside our cabin door would make them nervous. They love to approach strangers for a nice pet and act as if they are love starved. I'm pretty sure they would approach people that would not be ready to give them a good scratch behind the ears or their belly when they roll over with their "c'mon, you know you want to scratch my belly" look in their big eyes. They think everyone is put on earth to play with them. Service dogs would never do this. They are working dogs. Service dogs don't stand on their hind legs waiting on a treat off people's plate of food, let alone slurp food from someone's plate. There's a big difference in missing your dog, therefore you find a way to bring it on board and a trained service dog.

Roatan is one of the best ports in the world for snorkeling. We decided to do a catamaran snorkeling excursion. It was absolutely one of the best excursions ever. They picked us up at the port, drove us to where the catamaran was, and back to the port. You get to see the area pretty good while traveling the sort distance to the catamaran. They provided all equipment, lunch, and drinks, plus a guide that went with beginners and a guide that went with the advanced. We had folks that didn't snorkel at all and that had a great time out on the water during the ride and while sitting in the sun or shade while the snorkeling took place (and they were allowed to start drinking while the others were snorkeling). This is a port where you definitely will be missing out if you don't get outside the port area for some sort of excursion. We would never have realized what a fabulous island Roatan is without taking an excursion. My son in law is an expert diver and wasn't thrilled with the idea of snorkeling. He was blown away. The lunch they had brought on board for us was FABULOUS and they kept encouraging all of us to go back for seconds (which we did). At the end of the tour a few ladies were selling hand-made souvenirs...no hustling of the passengers from our catamaran to buy.

There's no reason to go to the expense, plus taking up luggage space with bags and plastic containers. We don't have any special dietary need, but I purchase 3-gal zip locks from the Dollar Store. A plate will slide right into it, zip it and then you can carry it to the room, put it in the special fridge being provided and it's safe from germs, and will stay fresh until you need it. I take all sizes of zip locks. I've put crackers in one because they don't need to go in the fridge, cheese in another (for the fridge) etc. The same can be done with the plate of food from the MDR, windjammer, cafes, etc. I do it because I like to have a snack on the balcony with a bottle of wine. I did it in the past with my Grandson so he had snacks and we didn't have to constantly run to the WJ for them. The added benefit is that traveling through the ship, or riding in the elevator, people aren't breathing on the plate of food. Keeps everything nice and germ free, fresh and separated in the fridge and it's easy for you to see what you have in a glance. It's economical, doesn't take up luggage space, and it works like a charm.

MDR staff will accomodate a request for apple or orange juice if you ask for it. At breakfast, even though we had the deluxe package, it was easier/faster to just get the OJ (from concentrate) many times. I don't have a problem with it, maybe because I don't have fresh squeezed OJ at home either. ;)

My adult daughter and I used to shake our heads at people's comments about the bad beds. We were always thrilled with them. Well, after many years, we replaced the very old mattresses in our home. On our next cruise, after we sat down on the bed, we burst out laughing and said, "boy were our matresses at home bad. These are not as comfy as the ones we have at home." It wasn't bad enough to cause us to lose sleep or to think about ordering the mattress toppers, but our new mattresses gave us a different prospective. We just try to pack light and we fly so we will be toughing it out.

Please don't flame away, but I have a couple of questions. I really want to do the zipline but have a couple of medical issues. Takes me FOREVER to navigate up steps. I don't want to make people angry if I have to stop briefly. Can they just go around me? Also, my doctor says I can zipline with an IF...if there's no hard stop where my chest could get banged (I have a pacemaker and defib implant). Do they take care that you don't slam into the stop at the end of the zipline? I don't want to get in anyone's way.

They sell stuffed animals i the Royal Caribbean logo shop but I don't think it's the character ones you are looking for.

Not allowed but if you put a luggage tag on it, they'll deliver it to your cabin. If it doesn't get there, it's no big loss to you. I've seen it on every single RC cruise. Much stricter with the booze. You'll get caught and sent to the naughty room if you try smuggling booze on board.

We cruised with Princess for the first time. They put eating utinsels in a caddy on each table in the buffet. . So convenient

I definitely do't want them in a caddy on each table. I won't use the spoons by the soup because I see too many people take one out, then put it back after handling it. You would have no idea what the people before you did with that silverware. My first thought was a small child licking a spoon then putting it back or even just playing with the silverware while they were eating and the adult putting it back in the caddy. Yuck. I use a clean set of silverware when I got back to the buffet. I usually need a new napkin at that point anyway.

I bought a lanyard that slides out of a pocket specifically because I can slide a few $$$ behind it to have with me (cash tip) for bartenders on the ship. I put it down under my shirt in port and I have a couple of twenties behind it for emergency. Also helps when I get back to the ship after shopping not to have to search for the SeaPass card to get back on the ship. I find it more convenient. Mine's soft leather do it isn't scratchy either.

My Grandson started cruising at 4 and decided to have a taste of the food his Dad was enjoying and LOVED it. It was escargot. He asked the waiter if he could have it. My sister and her son were with us and she was horrified at the thought of him eating it. He's an adult now and never passes up a new food. It's a wonderful part of cruising that they can try out new foods.

Don't know if it's correct or not, but someone posted it will be delayed due to a Coast Guard inspection. They've had later boardings when this occurs. Can't be helped.

We honestly love the MDR. The food is a matter of tastes and opinions on what they consider good. Maybe our tastes aren't as sophisticated as others so maybe I should explain what our tastes are so that you can compare and decide before taking my opinion. We're perfectly happy with a steak at an Outback Steak House, even though we've eaten at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We still enjoy a meal at the Olive Garden even though we've had wonderful pasta in Italy. We even love Red Lobster. I can eat a basket of their biscuits by myself, even though we've enjoyed fabulous bread right out of the oven in France and had fresh fish on the Amalfi coast. We love the choices available in the MDR and we've never had a bad meal so eating in the MDR is something we enjoy. WE even look forward to it. My adult grandson has traveled a great deal and says he has never had escargot he enjoys more than what he gets in the MDR and the duck is one of his favorites. The Vidalia tart is one of my favorite appetizers and it's back on the menu after a brief absence. We love getting to know our waiters, going straight to our table each night, knowing our waiters know our preferences. We know that if we can't make up our mind we can order two. We know that some people prefer the Specialty restaurants and that's fine, but we haven't ever felt the need to go to them, even when we've had a lot of on board credit or a great price. Everyone has different tastes and different opinions. Give it a try and see how you feel. They are offering deals all over the ship to try them so you always try one of them if you aren't satisfied. Your taste in foods might be completely different than ours.

One of the best tips ever is rolling the swimsuit (or anything else you wash out) in a towel tightly to get all the excess water out of it. Picked that tip up here only a couple of years ago and it is a gem! I hang it on a magnetic hook. I've never heard of the rumor that the stewards are removing them or that they are interfering with navigation. I think that is hilarious. Have you seen the documentary on the navigation on these ships? Magnetic hooks are NOT a problem.

If you call RC, they will confirm that you have it but that it won't show up on your cruise planner. Also, it's red and they won't change it but some people say they've had a bartender or two that will switch it for their house white of same/equal value. I also heard there is a restriction on days you can have for the lunch. I think only on a sea day. If so, I don't know that we will use it as my daughter won't want to miss the tutti salad in the MDR for the lunch. Haven't been able to get confirmation on any restrictions.

We all had the deluxe drink package but I will not be buying it for our upcoming cruise. I got the soda package for convenience since I usually prefer iced tea for dinner. I prefer a Diet Coke out by the pool but will occasionally have a frozen drink. We can bring two bottles of wine I like on board. We get a free bottle as a perk. We're Diamond so I can get 3 drinks in the evenings with the Seapass card. On the last two cruises, that wasn't used because we had the deluxe drink package. We could have spent time in the D lounge but didn't. I buy a bottle of ice cold water in ports instead of lugging a bottle of water that gets warm. I am buying my drinks in the ports, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. I prefer just plain black coffee so the specialty coffee is lost on me. Makes no sense for me, but there were a couple of folks in our group that used it and will be buying it for our upcoming cruise. You just have to weigh out what your drinking habits are and your likes and dislikes.

We were in line for over 2 hours returning to Galveston last summer. We've never been in a line this long. No idea why, but it certainly wasn't because we didn't get up early enough.

We miss the days of cruising with a toddler (Grandson) and love seeing the young families and the little ones on a cruise. The crew is amazing and cater to the toddlers. You'll see a few people trying to discourage you but they are truly in the micro-minority. We had an umstroller when he was little and he traveled easily on the ship and in ports. He fell so easily into the nightly routine of a "treat" of a carton of chocolate milk and cookie before getting ready for bed that he would keep asking when it was going to be "treat time." He knew he also got special treats because it was his vacation too. He fell asleep in his umstroller or on a lounger in the shade with the ocean breeze and motion of the ship lulling him after he would get exhausted playing in the water. It was a terrific experience and is why we kept choosing to go on a family cruise every year. Take the Grandmother along. You'll be surprised how quickly she will offer to babysit while you have some adult time. ;p

Just a couple of additional observations. We were on the elevator with 3 people in a family. This is hardly a crowded elevator. They got on with us and we moved to the back of them. When the elevator stopped on another floor, people were waiting to see if anyone exited and the 3-person family immediately hit the "shut door" button without allowing anyone time to get on. Our jaws dropped. On the next floor they did the same. We then mentioned that people were waiting to get on, they had no problem saying they knew they were and that's why they shut the door. They said they prefer an "uncrowded elevator" and prefer not to have to share. That might be why some people immediately jump on the elevator when the doors open. I moved to the front of the elevator, said "excuse me" as if I were about to get off and moved myself in front of them and in front of the buttons for the rest of the floors. They had to "share" a very crowded elevator and got pushed to the back. I guarded the buttons for the rest of the trip.

I guess they are competing with "economy" carriers that offer a low fare, then they start adding on the additional charges for everything and you end up with nothing more than a seat somewhere on the plane without paying more. We flew Aer Lingus to Europe and absolutely loved it. The fare was far less for our flight than any airline we checked, and we checked them all at the time. AA and Delta aren't the only airlines you have to choose from on an international flight. It's up to the consumer to check out the details on what they are getting for the cost of the flight, just like what's included in the cruise fare or with a hotel. You have to do the research.

RC ships check inventory of meals served they also monitor the amount of food left over, number of customers and I guess they made the decision that it wasn't feasible to keep the buffet open until the wee hours. There just wasn't enough demand. I know its a charge, but you can still order from room service if you want more than is offered at Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's. Since it's a flat fee, for the $7.95 you can order what would amount to a small buffet for you and whoever else is in your group and have it brought to one cabin. We ordered lunch one day for our group of four in one of our cabins and it amounted to a little more than a couple of bucks each for burgers, fries, pizza, salads desserts and dips and chips. Quite a spread.

We have been on 16 RC cruises, went on a RC and Celebrity cruise last year and it's been MANY years since we cruised Carnival. The food is just subjective. You're never going to get agreement on it. We don't have any problem with the food in the MDR on RC and in spite of the fact that we heard that Celebrity's food was better, we didn't think it was better and felt we had less choices. We've never had bad service on RC. We love the RC ships and prefer the newer, larger ships. We waited to find a good deal on Allure and found a deal too good to pass up for this summer. While I don't participate with the FlowRider, I love sitting in the stands and watching it. Quite amazing. You'll find a different crowd on a short cruise than on a longer cruise. If you go on a short RC cruise on an older ship, the itinerary should be your main focus or you will be disappointed. On a newer, larger ship, you will be WOW'd.

I cannot imagine skipping either of these great places. We hired a private driver (there were 5 of us) for both days. They picked us up at the port, hustled to get us there quickly and helped us what we wanted to see and do to maximize the time. Because there were five of us, it was as economical as an RC tour. Try getting another couple to go with you to cut the costs, but whatever you do, don't miss seeing the highlights of them both. I know we used Bob's Limo in Rome and I think we also used them in Florence. Very good rates and worth every cent.

If you have Netflix, a show called Megafoods did a documentary on the Oasis of the Seas kitchens. They are definitely not reheating prepared foods.

Exactly. Go to Mega Foods on Netflix, watch Episode 6. It is about food preparation on Oasis of the Seas. Whoever is telling you it's prepared elsewhere is wrong. It was amazing to watch.